Back in July, Marca revealed Chen Yansheng's intention to sell Espanyol FC, and although the club's CEO was quick to dispel the rumors, the financials could not be ignored. Chen Yansheng is in charge of Starlight Entertainment, which earned $341 million from 2016 to 2020 through the acquisition of Espanyol FC, yet the company is strapped for cash after losing $313 million in 2021. As of the first quarter of 2022, Starlight Entertainment had only $206 million in cash on hand, while short-term debt was as high as $692 million and it was facing goodwill pressure of $748 million. In the context of the market valuation of 200 million euros, Starlight Entertainment to sell the Spanish club seems to have become an inevitable choice. Unfortunately, Spaniards had been one of the few Chinese clubs that had persisted and succeeded for a long time.In 2016, Starlight Entertainment acquired a 54% stake in Spaniards, and Chen Yansheng and his team formed a new board of directors, with himself serving as chairman. Compared to Chinese-backed clubs such as Aston Villa and AC Milan, Starfleet Entertainment's management of Espanyol has been more stable, helping the team climb from mid-table in La Liga to qualify for Europe, and returning to La Liga in just one season despite an unfortunate relegation in 2020.
As a Chinese-funded club, Espanyol is also committed to promoting Chinese soccer. Wu Lei is not the first Chinese player for Espanyol, as the club signed 18-year-old Xuxu back in 2016, although his path to staying in China was not smooth. The Spaniards then turned to Wu Lei, promising that there would be no "export to domestic sales". After the Chinese Super League reached a consensus on players to stay in the ocean, Wanda had a large-scale organization of young players to stay in the ocean, Qianbao, Volkswagen also tried to send players to the five big leagues in the form of sponsorship and cooperation, but most of these attempts ended in failure. Wolverhampton Wanderers, like the Spaniards, have a long-term plan and remain in the mid-to-high echelons of the Premier League, but they are facing the issue of labor permits for overseas players. Wang Frost abandoned her Premier League plans due to the labor license issue, and He Weiyu's chances of representing Wolves in the Premier League have become difficult as a result.
On the other hand, the problem of Chinese players' own strength cannot be ignored. Although Wu Lei is highly controversial, he is undoubtedly the best player in Chinese soccer in recent years. Although China failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup, Wu Lei scored 12 goals in the qualifiers, second only to Ali Mabhout in Asia, and higher than the likes of Takumi Nanno and Azmoun, who traveled to Europe. Wu Lei's success is not something that can be easily replicated.
Japanese companies have also joined the ranks of acquiring European clubs.In 2017, Japanese internet giant DMM moved into the Bianconeri club St. Tilden, becoming a base for Japanese players to stay in Europe. Although DMM has continued to operate J-League players to St. Tilden, only a few players, such as goalkeeper Schmidt, have actually been able to get a chance to play consistently. In the middle of the season, St. Tilden suffered five consecutive defeats and ended the season in 9th place in the Bundesliga, missing out on the Champions League playoffs and European qualification.
It is the wish of all Asian players to play in a high-level European league, but a high-level league also means more intense competition and a tougher living environment. Not all Asian players can adapt to the European soccer world, and the road to stay in the world is full of challenges. For European clubs, signing more overseas players will help develop the overseas market. Bayern Munich, for example, have signed Japanese player Takashi Usami, South Korean player Yuyoung Jung, and Chinese players Liu Shaoziyang and Li Xianzhu. In early 2021, Bayern and Wuhan Sanzhen reached a cooperation agreement to develop Chinese youth players, but players such as Liu Shaoziyang will still have to face the challenge of adapting quickly to the European league. The topic has endured since the late 1980s when Chinese players stayed abroad. Nowadays, it is worth pondering why the road for Chinese players to stay in the world is becoming more and more difficult.
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